During some of my occasional check-ins at the DEADBEATS ONLINE page, I’ve been noticing that I always don’t always see new episodes. Generally, when this occurs, it’s attributable to me not overseeing the flow of pictures and prose to the right people at the right time, but in this case, it seems to be a multi-tiered kefluffle.
This past July, our invaluable embellisher Ricardo Villagran scheduled a long-overdue visit to the USA (mostly Manhattan), bringing with him hundreds–literally–of my DEADBEATS originals with him, to return to me. (As longtime EDITOR’S CORNER readers–and even intermittent droppers-in–may remember, Argentina–where Ricardo is based–has decided that original art, of any variety, cannot be shipped out of the country, so Ricardo’s been sending me back super-hi-resolution photocopies of the boards, and the surplus has been building up down South of the Border.) Anyway, Ricardo was also going to bring the latest grouping of DEADBEATS pages, which–unfortunately–I already needed for quick turnaround. (I got them to him late.) So I waited until he got to NYC and FedExed the new pages to me (and the other few hundred later than week) a little late. That accounted for one of our little lapses.

Then, our invaluable letterer/poster/webmaster Thom Zahler informed me that he was finally following through on a major life-change: to move back to the Midwest after spending the last few years in the Los Angeles area. That’s halfway across the country, so it’s a big step (also, since Thom’d already moved from the Midwest to Los Angeles, that probably means, by some styles of accounting, that he’s made it all the way across the country, right?). Predictably, as anyone who’s ever planned and executed a major move can attest, these projects always manage to be more stressful and time-consuming as they can possibly get. Therefore, Thom was out of the game for several weeks as well.

Oddly enough, these atypical lapses–if that noun could be applied to those two gentlemen–on the parts of two of the most reliable professionals with whom I’ve ever had the pleasure of working, have coincided with a huge upsurge in creativity and control on my part. I’m scripting like a demon, and drawing like a dervish. One night, I scripted six episodes of DEADBEATS ONLINE before dawn (while watching ALL MY CHILDREN online, if that’s at all pertinent), and during the morning, drew Episode #964 and designed #965 and #966. I’m very aware that DEADBEATS ONLINE is within sight of Episode #1000, certainly a milestone for me, and I promise a big surprise pay-off in that day’s installment.

Anyway, things are auspicious and getting better, even if we’re still operating a bit sputteringly in terms of posting new DEADBEATS ONLINE on our oft-stated schedule.

So…don’t read anything dismal into the lack of regular postings. Sometimes the small speed-bumps which afflict each of us can concurrently hit more than one member of a creative team. Believe me, when the bog drags down our joint progress, no one’s more frustrated than I am. (There are times at which I marvel–no pun intended–at the fact that I ran a comic-book company, managing at times a dozen or so deadlines, emergencies, and individual concerns for almost fifteen years.)

I think that I can promise a well-nigh-uninterrupted run of DEADBEATS ONLINE in the foreseeable future. Just assume the best, and you won’t be disappointed.

Oh, did I mention that there’s plenty of exciting content in those upcoming installments, too. In the current storyline, the action shifts into a higher gear as the mayor’s plot to establish himself as Mystic Grove’s savior risks the safety of some of the town’s most respected citizens. With Mrs. Haggard, Mac Raffio, and Langley Bowman all as co-conspirators, it was practically predetermined that there would be casualties, but the full extent of the damage goes far beyond what could have been predicted. Also, a character who had seemed to be safe is put in terrible peril, another presence returns from what had seemed to be ultimate destruction, and plenty of good people strive against the multifaceted forces of darkness. There’s also two guest appearances by characters who’ve only been seen in the “destroyed town” sequence.

(Yeah, don’t worry; I’m not going to bog down the narrative with complicated alternate-universe caption blocks. As far as I–or anyone–knows, these characters have been within town limits all along, just not subject to the same circumstances that impacted them back in the “pre-corrected” universe.) Mostly, I try not to confuse the prospective new reader with the trickiness of my going back and restructuring three hundred published installments of DEADBEATS ONLINE to rework, restore, and–in some cases undercut–the previously-established course of time. We’re all–Mystic Grove (and us, too)–right now, and there’s certainly enough happening to keep the storyline rolling merrily (well, sometimes not so merrily) along.

For various reasons, I haven’t felt confident enough to have managed a brush in about three years, but now things are much more stable and I’m trying to get back in the groove. Not helping: Most of the ink that’s been sitting on my shelves for those three years has separated, congealed, or just gotten unmanageable in one way or another. Next Manhattan trip will include a drop-in at Sam Flax, for sure.

Oh, I forgot to mention: One of the reasons I haven’t felt too overly distraught about not being able to turn out fully-inked, all-Richard Howell work is that the inking duties have been assumed and delivered by the like of Ricardo Villagran (almost all) and Nick Cardy (once in a blue moon, but worth the wait). I’ve also spoken with Louis Lachance about our collaborating together again, even if it’s just for fun. Louis inked most of the DEADBEATS covers from #60 until the end, and–as I could also apply to Ricardo–when the Editor of the line chooses you as his inker, it means he really likes your work.

I recently had one of those weird moments of synchronicity. I was on the phone with Kurt Busiek, discussing an upcoming collaboration, and mentioned that about two-and-a-half weeks beforehand, I’d followed through on an unexplained urge to reread all of the Elizabeth Peters “Amelia Peabody” (the world’s greatest romantic archaeologist) mysteries, and that I’d found an Egyptian term in one of them that might be useful for our project. Kurt asked me to send it along and also mentioned “Oh, you know Elizabeth Peters died recently, didn’t you?” (which I didn’t). She was immensely successful (and talented) and lived a long, full life, so it wasn’t upsetting on that level, but it was curious that she’d passed away on the same day as I–all unknowing–got the urge to immerse myself in her longest-running book series. Jo Duffy–another big Peters fan–and I did a salute to Amelia Peabody and her irascible family back in ELVIRA #99 (which I–invoking one of the perks of being Editor–pencilled myself), and it wound up being one of my favorite jobs. I frequently demur at sending “homage/salute/whatever”-type work to the artists to whom it’s intended to be respectful and salutory, but I do wonder at times–and this is one of them–what Ms. Peters (actually Ms. Mertz, as I recall)–would have thought about the ELVIRA tribute. I pencilled a just-because drawing of Elvira and the ersatz-Peabody/Emerson family which was (nicely) inked by the aforementioned Louis Lachance, which I can post here just as soon as I remember how to place art into my text postings.

Not too long back I realized that it was Jack Kirby’s birthday again. I can safely state with assurance that not a day goes by when his artistic influence isn’t felt around here (and I don’t just mean my square fingers). I also have the advantage of–whenever I’m noodling around on the computer and feeling uninspired or lazy–looking over my left shoulder and seeing the framed DEVIL DINOSAUR double-splash hanging above my piano. Now that’s inspiration! Wherever you and Roz are now, Jack, I hope you continue to be aware of how much your work meant to so many people.

I’m composing most of this shortly after the week of April Fool’s Day, and that seems like a highly proper time to spin more rhetoric here in “Editor’s Corner. After a pretty tough February (some medical problems, and the loss of my long-time feline companion Willie–at nineteen years and seven months, he’s the record-holder in this household) and playing frantic catch-up during March, I’m finally getting my work schedule back under control–which brings up a subject raised by one of our letter-column favorites:

Dear Claypoolsters:

I’m still following DEADBEATS, now online, much as I was panting over each issue back when they were on paper. The stories are as fulfilling as ever, and it’s still my go-to source for “good boy” art. Sadly, with Jo gone (forever?), Kirby has fewer and fewer occasions to show up naked, but Southie’s stepped up his habit of gratuitous nudity, which–with the possible exception of Brittany–I’m the target audience. Is it my imagination or are you soft-pedaling the peek-a-boo moments now that you’re on the web? That would be understandable, but on the other hand, there’s lots of stuff on the internet that shows more.

I have a question, too: I haven’t missed any installments, and I’m pretty sure that I have a firm hand on my calendar, so why is the latest installment (as of last weekend) dated September 28th?

Yours,
Barbara McTeague
18 Carey Street
Cambridge MA 02138

Nice to hear from you again, Barbara. I’m still not sure how many readers we lost when we moved to the Internet (not counting the ones we probably disappointed with the various rumors of our demise/nonexistence over the years). I am ramping back the sex and nudity back a bit, since we have no idea where our audience is placed, in terms of age–and anyone can access our DEADBEATS strip, unlike in the old days, when they at least had to be able to fork over two-and-a-half bucks. It may not make much sense, but it makes us all feel more comfortable about presenting the various activities and such depicted in the ongoing narrative. (It’s possible that the violence has been dialed down a bit, too, but that’s a little harder to assess.)

About the disconnect between the “official” dates on the new installments and the real dates: It’s simple, if oddly reasoned. Two years ago, I got into some serious medical trouble, which led to other setbacks, and got me wa-a-a–aay behind in terms of keeping on schedule. Those bad times are behind me now (never to return, if I have anything to say about it), but I chose to keep the original dates on the various postings, and simply post much more frequently than our original plan of three-per-week. It’s taking a while to catch up, but we’re making progress. During some weeks, there’s a new DEADBEATS every day. Mostly this depends on Thom’s schedule, whether or not he’s traveling or is in his office, whether he remembers, or whether I remember to remind him. Eventually, all will be “in synch,” as it were. Don’t be misled by the lagging dates. This week, I finished (and sent to Ricardo), Episodes 893-908. I already have finished, inked art up through #892, and Thom has lettered up through #873–so have no fear that we’re dragging our feet; quite the contrary. One of the great aspects about knowing that this strip will continue as long as publisher Ed Via wants to support it is that we can all get as far ahead into future inventory as our little digits will allow.

On another subject entirely (well, mostly): Barbara sent her letter to me directly through the Claypool website, and it obviously reached me. Every now and then I get some weird “Please moderate: “Deadbeats Online Strip #whichever” (It varies.) In every single occasion that I’ve gone through the several-step process to find out what the comment is that I’m supposed to be moderating, it’s not related to DEADBEATS at all; usually it’s spam of some sort or another. Consequently, I’m not hugely motivated to explore these postings. I’ve asserted this before, and I’ll do so again: If anyone wants to comment on DEADBEATS, or communicate with me on any topic, please send your messages directly through the website. It’s the way to go.

Here’s some random ramblings that I’ve already put up on my Facebook page (yes, I’m experimenting with double-dipping) which may be of interest:

This falls into the category of odd soap-opera stuff: No, not my life, literally soap operas. I’m a subscriber to the notion that if someone’s work gives you pleasure then you should let them know it. (I think it was the rule by which Maggie Thompson’s mother lived.) So when Lynn Herring returned to GENERAL HOSPITAL as Lucy Coe, I sent her a “thank-you” note. She, in turn, sent me a “you’re welcome” missive (hand-written, too). Also, in a GH-related tale, the beloved actor John Ingle (who played manipulative/grumpy patriarch Edward Quartermaine) died last year, the show-runners gave everyone a few months to catch their breaths, then had Edward die peacefully, at home. (His last word was “Lila.”) This set off a storm of family squabbling over the will, the assets, etc. I’d thought that this would be compromised by the fact that so many of the actors who played various Quartermaines were no longer employed at GH. Some–still employed in daytime–were appearing on other–theoretically competing–soaps. Well, as it turned out, Wally Kurth (who played Tracy Quartermaine’s son Ned Ashton), who recurs on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as Justin Kiriakis, showed up to be present at the reading of Edward’s will (and to support his mother). I thought that it was very gracious of DAYS to let him out of whatever arrangement they had with him to let his character make an appearance on GH–and so I wrote a letter explaining same to SOAP OPERA DIGEST, which printed it–but, as usual, with only “R.H., Leonia NJ.” I was quite surprised to receive a signed photo of Wally Kurth, with the inscription “Hey, Richard–thanks for the plug!” I expect that Wally was intrigued enough by my letter to have contacted SOD and gotten my name and mailing address (which SOD requires), and took the next step.

Well, here’s another year, and another inexplicable delay in posting more “Editor’s Corner” updates. To be fair, I’ve had distractions a’plenty (including getting more involved with Facebook than I’d intended–which in a way is a duplication of effort with some of my updates here, so I may experiment with double-posting). There’ve also been some weather-related problems here in the Tri-State Area (not to be confused with the Tri-Wizard Tournament), and–in expectation of another blackout–I went on a bender of scripting and transmitting those scripts to the ever-dependable Thom Zahler. As it worked out, I didn’t lose power here, this time, but it still took me away from more drawing, or more “Editor’s Corner.”

The consistently-helpful Kurt Busiek came up with a few nice business-advance ideas to goose Claypool somewhat more into prominence, and I can hardly wait to pursue them–but I’m not going to announce anything unless/until I have a bit more of a solid footing on the prospects. It’s very possible that 2013 might be a resurgence of the Claypool brand–and its unique approach to the comics medium.

Beyond that, life continues to be creatively solid and secure. DEADBEATS ONLINE is on track, the levels of health for everyone here are suitable for the age brackets involved (Willie is not doing so well, but he’s turning 19-and-seven-months on February 20th, so I don’t expect him to be as spry at Sam or the little girls–and I’m now safely into the “closer to 60 than to 50″ range myself, so my marathon days are becoming a more distant memory). We’re all handling every day with as much grace and purpose as we can muster (some days are more muster-y than others), and every now and then, some unexpected benefit rears its not-ugly head.

For instance, about four years ago, I sent a pencil drawing to one of my idols, Nick Cardy, with some fervid exhortations to encourage him to ink it. Nick’s a great guy, and a tremendous artist (as well as a huge influence on my style), but he’s also–at 93, no kidding–a really busy fellow, and it’s taken all this time for him to get around to my piece. Two weeks ago, Nick called to inform me that his agent(s) had temporarily, inexplicably left him with nothing to do–so it was time for him to tackle my piece. (Nick claimed that he’d had my drawing mounted above his work board, so as to essay it at the earliest opportunity–and so, it appears, he did.) Below is the second-and-a-half Howell/Cardy collaboration (the first being the cover of DEADBEATS #50, and the other–unpublished at this time–is a DEADBEATS cover which I pencilled some time before the paper series’ cancellation, for which Nick inked the part with my cats). I think better of it every time I look at it, and it–naturally–has taken its place of honor in my vaguely-obsessive collection of HARRY POTTER commission drawings. How does it look to everybody out there?

Speaking of unexpected benefits (and, for that matter, DEADBEATS and any chance I get to work that project into the conversation), a very exciting, mostly-unprecedented launch is about to occur. I doubt that it’s any secret that I’m a big soap opera fan–since those long-ago days of the original (and still champeen!) DARK SHADOWS and that PBS phenomenon THE FORSYTE SAGA. Much later, once we moved into Leonia, on the wrong side of the hill to get any decent radio reception, I filled my worktime drawing at home, and listening to and/or watching the various daytime network offerings, getting roundly hooked on (at one point) about ten of the then-extant soaps.

Well, that’s quite a number of years ago now, and time and circumstance has not been kind to soap addicts. (Yes, arguments could be made for the likes of DOWNTON ABBEY, WEEDS, certainly DALLAS–heck, even GRAY’S ANATOMY, but I’m specifying daytime here.) Anyway, over the past several years ago, the heads of each networks’ daytime programming schedules decided–in some (not all) cases with some justification–that the time of the network soaps had passed, effectively signing the death knells of such venerable institutions as AS THE WORLD TURNS and GUIDING LIGHT (at CBS, at which they were some of the longest-running entertainment programming in the history of broadcasting), NBC cancelled PASSIONS (no great loss, in my opinion) and ABC daytime was undermined by the decision to cancel both the ailing ALL MY CHILDREN and the thriving ONE LIFE TO LIVE (ABC’s top-rated soap). This left gaping holes in most every daytime schedule which the geniuses in charge filled with (mostly) cheaply-produced talk shows, some of which were swiftly cancelled, some are limping along, and one–at least–is costing the network twice as much as the soap it replaced, with about half the viewership.

Okay, it’s probably clear by now that I think the Big Brains at CBS, NBC, and ABC daytime severely underestimated the connection that the viewership had to its “stories,” and that they made a big mistake alienating a dedicated, dependable viewership in favor of shows that–quite simply–cost them less. There’s no audience dedication to the talk, lifestyle, and cooking shows that took their place. There’s no “appointment television” aspect to these place-holder programs. Basically, the networks shot themselves in the foot, and attempted to take their–perhaps most–loyal viewers with them, limping along.

Now, though, things have changed–in a daring and exciting manner! Taking notice of the continued devotion to the cancelled ABC soaps (that’s ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE, for those struggling to keep up with this diatribe), a company named Prospect Park has licensed–from ABC–the creative content of each show and is weeks away from re-mounting, re-staging, re-creating–however it can be most effectively phrased–each of the orphaned ABC soaps, but…for the Internet. Yep, following in the footsteps of such loved-but-undervalued creative projects such as ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (and DEADBEATS, for that matter, the various new avenues for disseminating creative content have made it possible to restart shows (and comics) which their fans still want to support. This is a very exciting time in the development of media milestones, and I’m glad to be part of it, not only because I’ll get to see my pals at ONE LIFE TO LIFE again–heck, I’ll probably watch ALL MY CHILDREN, too–but also because the availability of Internet distribution saved my DEADBEATS strip.

To advert slightly: Here’s a watercolor painting I did a few years ago of Robin Strasser, one of my favorite components of the ONE LIFE TO LIVE canvas. I suspect that she stopped answering her snail-mail some time back, and I really wanted to have the opportunity to give this to her. I know that she’s very active on Twitter (which I don’t know how to use), so if anyone’s reading this who can track down her Twitter contact and can steer her over here, please feel encouraged to do so.

Also, my latest completed painting was brushed its last sometime a few weeks ago (even though I started it before Christmas). Here it is:

As is usual these days, I’m operating far ahead of the posting dates, so here’s a small sample of what’s to come:

We all knew that this would be a scary time, being Halloween and all, but I don’t think any of us expected how dark it would get. This past week, Hurricane Sandy blew through state after state, most definitely including New Jersey and New York, causing immense destruction and loss. The news services report that Jersey was the hardest hit, and I can believe it, especially looking at the photos from the Jersey shore–entire houses blown off their foundations, massive flooding, widespread power outages. It’s horrific.

I’m typing this on the Sunday after one day after getting my telephone/Internet/television service back and two days after my power and heat returned. Without power, I’ve also had my basement flood again (regardless of my back-up battery pump), which is always troubling. It’s been a cold and depressing week, but I’m nowhere near as hard-hit as so many, many others.

One good thing is that it seemed that the entirety of Leonia pulled together to help each other, with offering shelter, communication services, food, and shared information. In this one small community, the best of our spirits shined clearly through. There are still areas of great devastation, and even here in town there are pockets without power, but everyone’s keeping the whole hopefulness thing alive.

A minor misfortune was that this was the week that my college friend was scheduled to come for his semi-annual visit. He showed up on Saturday (for the “Taste of Leonia” town-restaurant event on Sunday), and we had plans for the week, including Broadway tickets for Tuesday night. Once the storm hit on Monday, it appeared that those plans would not be realized. Not only did the power (and heat) fail on Monday night, but what with the bridges being judged unsafe and the tunnels flooding, most public transportation was suspended, taking the trek to Manhattan became impossible. On Wednesday, taking me up on my suggestion, my friend decided to bail and drive back to his home in New Hampshire. Since there was no guarantee when the power would be restored (I was without power–and heat–for two additional days), I could hardly blame him.

New Jersey’s Governor Christie was also a model of leadership in several ways, including refusing to politicize the disaster, and embracing President Obama’s assistance. It’s been an interesting week, to say the least.

Oh, and then the Nor’easter struck on Tuesday, bringing delays to the attempts to restore power and normality. I lost power again, for a short time, but now things appear to be better.

BACK TO BUSINESS

Not much happened in the world of Claypool during the storm, although I did manage to design several more DEADBEATS ONLINE episodes by candlelight (just exactly the same way Abe Lincoln used to design DEADBEATS ONLINE, I suspect). Today, I’m back to keeping current on the “Editor’s Corner,” typing and scanning away. I’ve also re-established contact with Thom, who’s pledged to keep up the pace in posting the new Episodes. All in all, things are getting more and more righted, and I think that the stability behind the scenes is having a good effect on the finished story and art.

Already, the triad of terror is making separate progress in pursuing their individual agendas, as the Deadbeats prepare their next step in Dracula’s campaign, the Peters group continues its random attacks, and the undead’s perfect couple, Southie and Brittany, have once again endangered themselves (and others) with their wayward impulses. There’s a big battle coming up and the fate of one of those groupings will be altered forever.

Along with work, I’m proceeding with my usual activities, like reading (I finished a nice young-fantasy novel called THE RAVEN BOYS about an unofficial fraternity formed on the borders of a magically-laced land; I finished two Michael Chabon novels, and now I’m on the new Laurie King), television (ONCE UPON A TIME, REVENGE, THE GOOD WIFE, THE SIMPSONS, GLEE, NASHVILLE, ELEMENTARY, etc., plus the never-better GENERAL HOSPITAL, of course), and keeping in touch with great, inspirational comics of history. Here’s a few examples of that which I write:

It’s also worth mentioning that a new book, MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY, has been released, which is a fascinatingly comprehensive timeline of Marvel from the days of Marty Goodman racking newspapers, up through the recent spate of mega-blockbuster movies, with a lot of twists (and warts) through the years. Author Sean Howe took a slant towards spotlighting and rather exhaustingly probing the business decisions that–necessarily–impacted the creative work that sustained the company, and thus supported the revolving turntable of Presidents, Publishers, and Poobahs that at times enabled the Marvel to flourish, and in other cases stripped it of its assets, created a hostile creative environment, and operated in a way counter-productive to a successful business. Beyond that, I got a little twinge of satisfaction reading page 267.

Well, the Leonia Artists’ Guild show has come and gone, and I was–as usual–impressed with the level of talent in our tiny town. Not too surprisingly, I chatted with a large percentage of the artists, did some networking, and bought a painting (from the brilliant Marcia Wilson, a member of the painting class I attend). It’s a little large for my scanner, but most of it can be seen here:

Luminous Siamese, if you please

There was wine, cheese, crudites, conversation, live music, and a good time for all. I met a children’s book author named Michael Rex, a guitarist, a few young singers, another few painters (there was an interesting octopus on which the painter used goops of acrylic to simulate the suckers in a tactile 3-D effect, and a woman who produced some lovely watercolors of scenes from Maine–no images of Collinwood, though), and some very generous, dedicated, community-minded organizers. The only real casualty of the day was the disruption of my regular schedule (that is to say, no tennis and no drawing). Tomorrow’s another day, though.

Last time, I mentioned the “Women of Wonder” auction–which everyone reading this is encouraged to check out. I’m contributing two pieces of art for the cause, and these are they:

No, the Scarlet Witch hasn’t been sawed in half by Zatara (or even Zatanna). The original board is simply too big for my scanner, even after reducing it on the Leonia Library’s wayward color copier. It’s one image, one board, and a big 20″ x 15″. The HAWKMAN SPECIAL page is normal, present-day art size. If anyone’s interested on bidding for them–and for a good cause–the site to behold is, once again:
www.WomenOfWonderDay.com

There will be many, many nice potential acquisitions, and certainly much to appreciate, so everyone is encouraged to visit the online wonders of “Women of Wonder.”

I’m on Facebok now–twice–both as Richard Howell and as DEADBEATS (Vampire Comic), and I’m still not entirely sure what the benefit of Facebook is, exactly, but I’m game to find out. If it results in some sort of long-dormant personal contact being reactivated or a book contract, I’ll be very vocal about its value.

Our ongoing game of DEADBEATS ONLINE catch-up continues, as we shamble toward the episodes which were scheduled for the end of March, 2012 (that’s Episode #762 as of today, Friday, September 28th). Earlier this week, Thom sent me a twofer of fully-lettered Episodes #781-2 to proofread. Ricardo has completed and returned up through Episodes #826. Yesterday, I sent Ricardo the pencilled pages for Episodes #827-844, and tomorrow, I’ll be scripting Episodes #795 and #796. It’s no wonder sometimes that I don’t know which character knows what, and learned it when, and told whom about it already (or–somedays–which way is up).

Okay, and keeping with a fresh-minted tradition I enjoy, here’s a blast from…the future–of DEADBEATS ONLINE:

That’s it for now. Enjoy the last days of September 2012. I know that I’ll be trying to.

Most of the time, plotting, pacing, scripting, designing, drawing, and overseeing the shipping, inking, proofreading, and posting of DEADBEATS ONLINE uses up most of my available work time, but every now and then, something crosses my path which seems to be too intriguing to resist.

Let’s start at the beginning of this tale. Follow:

My old pal Kurt Busiek, who–the same as many creators these days–maintains a weblog on his site and at one point posted a sample of Mort Meskin art from the 1950s (printed from the comic, of course; not everyone–koff koff–has the good fortune to have an available selection of Meskin originals), with some very favorable comments on the late Mr. Meskin’s stylizations. One of Kurt’s many weblog-followers contacted him, agreeing with his assessment and bemoaning the apparent fact that no one these days understood, let alone worked in, Mort’s style these days. Kurt E-mailed me and informed me of this particular situation, asking if a) Meskin’s was one of the styles I could mimic (or evoke, as I’d prefer to phrase it), and b) would I be interested in pursuing the project that this other party was attempting to put together. The answer was a) sure, and b) sure, so Kurt passed along my contact information, and I first E-mailed, then placed a phone call to the inquiring mind who appreciated Mort.

the imitable Mort

I had a very successful conversation, and got the skinny on what the project was: A double-tiered graphic novel, in which one of the halves was a noir-ish science-fiction-y extravaganza which he envisioned as being more effective if delivered in a consciously retro style, such as an evocation of Meskin. I was certain that I could structure my approach to resemble Mort’s–I’d already inked a few pages of Mort’s pencils (on overlay, naturally, for a project of Greg Theakston’s) and found that we could be a natural fit; I thought that my inking could easily be tailored to complement his structures and shadings–and, as I mentioned to the editor–I’d already done a published romance story in the style of the classic Simon & Kirby examples of the genre. (I decided that it would be irrelevant to rope in the fact that I’d also done a “Hellcat” story in an evocation of the style of classic PATSY WALKER artist Al Hartley.) He seemed impressed, and so was I. His project sounded great for me, and–since I was already at his company’s website–I noticed that one of the independent movies which his firm produced was one that I liked quite a bit (and had even bought). A meeting of the minds, as it were.

So he sent me a draft of the project proposal and I sent him copies of the S&K-ish pages, as a warm-up for the main event: character designs, contract talks, etc. All seemed well, for the first outside-of-Claypool project I would be undertaking in several years.

Then, the bad news: My contact, the project’s editor, sent me one of those “Thanks, but no thanks…at least for now” E-mails. His financial backers indicated that they preferred a more contemporary look for the artwork. So he had to accommodate their wishes, regardless of the fact that this whole waltz began due to my ability to deliver exactly what he asserted that he wanted, then to get overruled by the higher-up (the money people frequently have the last word, as I’ve discovered over the years). There was no hostility in the rejection of my work, and–unlike at least one previous incident–I didn’t get blackballed by an entire company by providing exactly what the editor wanted. I have to say that it was one of the most polite and complimentary rejections which I’ve ever received. I’ve been *hired* with less professionalism and regard for my sensitive artist’s ego.

Anyway, so that project’s apparently not going to happen…for me. I’m not actively looking for outside work these days, but when something appears to be dropping into my lap, I usually manage to discover some extra time that I didn’t think that I had. It’s still kind of a rush to feel the experience of someone wanting to offer me work, even if it’s only that I can summon up the shade of a former comics great (or three)

I thought that you DEADBEATS readers might enjoy a look at the Simon & Kirby-inspired story that I got assigned by the ever-helpful Al Milgrom back sometime around 1990. (It appeared in the final issue of MARVEL FANFARE, I think.) It’s possible that Al only approved this story because he wanted an excuse to ink in the S&K style, but as Al was and is one of the most versatile inkers in the biz, he welcomed and exceeded any expectations of whether or not he could handle it (including his own, I suspect). Here are a few pages:

Town & Patsy 1

Town & Patsy 2

Now, a look at the real thing. How’d we do?

S&K sizzle

As far as Claypool news goes: There really isn’t any. We’re each scrambling to catch up. Thom’s back in town and is posting more regularly; I got in another eight pages (sixteen online episodes 815-826) back from Ricardo in Argentina this past Monday, and by the end of the week, I’ll be able to send another six or eight episodes back down to him. I think that I share the impatience of everyone who’s been panting for us to get back on a regular posting schedule–with one exception: I know what’s going to happen. Here’s a little taste of the future:

Siege at Mr. Peters’ house

Beyond that, it’s a long, long time from May to December, and the days are getting shorter and shorter now that we’re deeper into September (as the song almost goes). That means that my recently-reactivated daily tennis workout will shortly become dormant again, theoretically freeing up more time for DEADBEATS ONLINE, specialty drawings, and/or other projects. I don’t have any leads at the moment, but I’m hopeful that when they present themselves, I’ll be ready.

I also wanted to mention that I’m contributing–again–to Andy Mangels’ annual charity auction, now titled “Women of Wonder.” In Andy’s own words: “This year, the event will continue its expanded mission! On October 21, 2012, “Women of Wonder Day,” again as a part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, will take place, returning to Excalibur Books in Portland, Oregon, and Heroes and Fantasies in San Antonio, Texas!” Basically, artists are encouraged to donate drawings, paintings, etc., to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the aid of those who have endured domestic violence. It’s an Internet auction and for anyone who’s interested in picking up some spiffy art and having their purchase money go to a good cause, this is highly recommended. All the information can be found at:

www.WomenOfWonderDay.com.

I’m also appearing in a local “Meet the Artists” show here in Leonia this Sunday. Here’s a sample of what I’ll be displaying.

Harry vs. Grandenetti demons

That’s it for now. Keep checking in and reading DEADBEATS ONLINE. More soon.

Well, posting has continued on our ever-ongoing DEADBEATS ONLINE series, but we seem to be stalled again, a minor casualty of our invaluable letterer/scanner/poster/webmaster’s well-deserved–and hard-earned–success. Thom’s out on the road again, attracting more and more readers to his LOVE AND CAPES series, as he appears at more and more conventions this season. Sadly, it seems that it’s more difficult (if not impossible) for Thom to post DEADBEATS ONLINE while he’s away from his office (the one with the six-story, wall-mounted mega-computer. So, it’ll be another short period of tantalization while the mice are playing. There are at least twenty episodes that are completely complete and awaiting taking their turn in the website spotlight, so everyone’s encouraged to check in often, in anticipation of that day on which we progress beyond #755. If any of you encounter Thom at one or another of his public appearances, make sure that you that tell him how much you enjoy the job he’s doing maintaining the site for All Things Claypool, impress upon him how much you enjoy the DEADBEATS ONLINE series, and heck, while you’re at it, splurge on a few trade paperback collections of LOVE AND CAPES. You won’t regret it.

Here’s Thom’s travel schedule, sent to me several days ago:

August 31-Sept. 3 –Dragon*Con
September 7-8 –Baltimore Comic-Con
September 15-16 –Cincinnati Comic Expo
September 29-30 –Wizard World Ohio
and also:
October 11-14 –New York Comic-Con

EDITOR’S CORNER: There’ve been some complaints about the apparently-slapdash postings of our regular “Deadbeats Online” series, and we freely acknowledge that those who ask “Where the #@!! is the next installment?” or “Why has the posting been stalled at Episode #750 for weeks?” have legitimate gripes. All we can assert is that we’ve each–Ricardo, Thom, and me–been trying our best to play catch-up after a particularly disastrous 2011 (don’t ask). Thom’s just recently back from being on the road–you may have heard of this little gathering called ComicCon–so I didn’t expect that he could post anything new until he got back to his office, or access to some higher-level computer, but once the way became clear, we were poised to take action.

Well, it took a while, but here’s the official announcement that the logjam on posting new episodes of “Deadbeats Online” has been broken. Thom’s back from his travels (temporarily) and in full command of working the site. I asked him not to jam-post the next twenty or so episodes all at the same time (I’ve heard that it interferes with the process of alerting updates for those using the likes of Google Reader), so for the immediate future, there should be a new slice of that gourmet treat Fear City Tartare served up cold and bloody every day. This is not to state absolutely that we might not miss one every now and then, but we’ll try to stick as close to the one-a-day vitamin model as we can manage, so take heart! There are another many, many episodes that have been pencilled, inked, scripted, lettered, proofread, and approved for posting, which should happen soon. Ricardo’s inks are complete and back from Argentina up through #792 and he’s got the follow-up job, which takes the story up to #814. I’m finishing up the next batch this week, #815-824. Thom’s working hard on making sure that we don’t miss any further postings. I’m confident that we’ll get back on schedule and stay there. Thanks to everyone out there for your continued interest and patience. I hope that everyone has been enjoying what’s been presented so far.

As far as the future holds: There are plenty of surprises in store. Our new arc–”Unlikely Heroes” –which was mentioned in a previous “Editor’s Corner” (June 19th), is just about to kick into gear in the posted continuity, and the principals, Southie and Brittany (back in full-bodied force…Yay!), make surprisingly convincing–affecting, even–crusaders for the righteous. However, since their middle names are “Damaged” and “Wayward,” respectively, let’s just state that the course of eliminating the evil from Mystic Grove never did run smooth. There’s also a bizarre town meeting, at which the mayor makes an attempt to ramrod a stronger initiative against the offending bloodsuckers (which results in a wild–one–vampire attack against one of his favorite staffers), an amusing sidelight on the use of religious paraphernalia to ward off the evil undead, and a new slant on realtor Rhonda Shue’s “slaughtered family specials.” Also, there’s a short shift in the spotlight, aiming towards a crucial moment for the Peters vampire mob, and a to-the-point primer on why it doesn’t pay enough to deliver pizzas in Mystic Grove. In other words, lots more energy, lots more chills, lots more big words (yes, Drs. Ralston and Powell will be along for the ride), and lots and lots of commitment to each and every episode.

Oddly enough, a huge amount of scripting and pencilling has been generated during what seems like one of the worsts heat waves in memory here in the Tri-State area (that’s NY, NJ, and CT, of course). Mostly I’ve reverted to my (suitably enough) vampire schedule, which entails my working through the marginally-cooler nights, then turning in to sleep once the temperature gets unbearable again. It works out well enough. I’d use the air conditioner more, but it scares the cats, and three of them (Sam and the little girls)

react by fleeing–as if they were wearing flee collars–to the upstairs, where it’s stultifyingly hot. I don’t want the little brainless wonders to die of heat stroke, so I do whatever I can to keep them on the first floor, and keep the air circulating via the ceiling fan in the kitchen.

Entertainment? Sure, there’s plenty going on around here. Now that I’ve once again (temporarily) resolved my computer/television/DVD issues, I’ve returned to scripting a full page (two episodes) every morning while watching something, both on the iMac DVD Player. Within the past month, I’ve managed to catch the third and fourth season of TRUE BLOOD (not an influence on DEADBEATS–especially in terms of dialogue style–but pretty nifty in its own right), the second Downey Jr. SHERLOCK HOLMES movie (always nice to see Stephen Fry, a perfect choice as Mycroft), DESPICABLE ME (which was better than I expected; I’m always leery of movies that were recommended to me by friends who watched them with their pre-school-age children), and the most recent THE MUPPETS. After that, I have BABY MAMA checked out already (the Leonia Library is offering free DVD rentals through August 31), and then, who knows? I can always return to meandering my way through ANGEL, Season Five. (I recently watched the episode in which Cordelia returns to wrap up her storyline, and after that is “Smile Time,” which–I expect–will be a touch too distracting to which to script. Also, I’m not looking forward to the advent of Illyria.)

Like any good soap devotee, I’ve been religiously watching all of the remaining daytime offerings (except DAYS, more intermittently), and am thrilled that TNT’s DALLAS is a) so good, and b) is doing so well. The season-ending cliffhanger was very much in DALLAS’ “leave ‘em hanging all Summer” tradition. Network TV is sort of a wasteland during the warmer months, so I’m especially grateful to have the likes of THE CLOSER, ROYAL PAINS, WHITE COLLAR, BURN NOTICE, and (especially) SUITS to keep me out of the proverbial pool halls. (I’m a real washout at playing proverbial pool, anyway.)

Also, it’s always nice to know that someone’s reading these updates (as well as the DEADBEATS ONLINE strip itself, of course), and we just received our first letter of comment since we discontinued our message board. Remember, all opinions and observations can be sent to me here, directly, at RHOWELL@nj.rr.com, and I’ll be able to answer or respond from that point on. (Correspondents should also be very clear if they would rather that their comments not be posted here.) Thanks. So here’s the E-mail we found in our inbox, fittingly enough, from one of the most consistent commentors on our series back in the dear (literally) old days of paper printing:

Dear Deadbeasts:

I’ve been reading your online strip since the Big Shift of 2007, and now that my life’s settled back down, I’m taking the plunge into LoC-dom once again. Basically, it took me a while to get used to the rhythms of the new format. I suspect that the same is true for you, too. Now, though, it seems that you’ve got into a good groove. The “Firelight” storyline, with Senator Cain’s movie-star parents, Scylladyne Oscar, and the hugely-welcome return of Dracula to Fear City has been highly entertaining. I especially enjoyed the party sequence, with various Mystic Grovers singing Karaoke. Dr. Ralston and Dr. Powell singing the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood hit “Jackson”? Hilarious.

They’re made for walkin’

It always surprises me the new wrinkles that you can find in these very, very *very* well-established characters, without invalidating what’s come before. I didn’t recognize the song that Kirby and Manny performed, though, so I may have missed a joke there. The “Count Nogard” reference would have sailed right by me.

Who knew that The VanSloans had enough contacts to entice Harry, Hermoine, and Ron to attend? I suspect that writer/penciller Howell is behind the appearance of the Scarlet Witch and Portia Prinz. Scylladyne’s journey from fang-fan to Queen of the Undead was well-paced and believably motivated. I’m a little sorry that she’s fully gone now. I should also mention that Jackie Sude’s capturing and victimizing Jo was just…twisted. (A dog collar? Really?) I felt Kirby’s pain, too. Somehow, DEADBEATS ONLINE, like DEADBEATS before it, communicates real emotions beneath all the horror, the character eccentricities, the new-word-of-the-day showoffiness, and the genre tropes.

In short, I’m liking it. I never stopped, but I stopped writing. I hope to become a regular commentor again. I think that I can state without reservation that DEADBEATS is definitely worth my time.

Roger Kennedy

Edgerton WI

Thanks, as always, Roger, for your commentary. Since you stopped writing to us when our paper-printed comic ceased publication, we’d wondered what happened to you–lost interest? No Internet access? It’s good to hear from you again.

Honestly, it surprised us, too, that Drs. Powell and Ralston would get up and belt one out at Karaoke night in Fear City. Who knows? Maybe they’re tired of all the predation and terror and are thinking of moving–and if so, why not “Movin’ with Nancy”? Kirby’s trio sang “Tu Vuo’ Fa L’Americano” which was featured in the movie THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, performed by Jude Law, Matt Damon, and Fiorello, in similarly sweaty style.

The dog collar routine was a salute to Mike Sekowsky’s WONDER WOMAN #185, featuring the premier (and quite possibly only) malicious Lesbian/S&M/B&D triumvirate of kidnappers, tramps, and thieves “THEM!” I can’t tell you how many assignments from which I’ve been booted (not a Nancy Sinatra reference) for wanting to bring THEM! back.

Oh, and Jackie Sude’s name was a similar tip-o’-the-cowl to the TERRY villainess Sanjak, who disguised herself at one point as a hoteliere named Madame Sud. Aren’t you glad that you didn’t ask?

Along those lines: You are hereby encouraged to obtain and read the entire Milton Caniff run of TERRY AND THE PIRATES. No kidding.

Don’t let it interfere with your leaning towards being a regular DEADBEATS dissector again, though. Our inbox is always open. As mentioned earlier, RHOWELL@nj.rr.com is now the place to send questions, comments, or observations. If you’ve got any of those, we’d like to read them, answer them, and maybe post them.